


A Mad Box and a Man

by Starjargon



Series: TARDIS Files [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Bad Wolf, Doctor Who 50th Anniversary, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mad team, On the Run, Screw Tenses, The Moment - Freeform, Time War, You're Just as Sane as I am
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-15
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2017-12-29 11:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1004999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starjargon/pseuds/Starjargon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Series of One Shots of moments from the TARDIS' viewpoint.</p><p>Latest story: the Moment was never just Bad Wolf, and Bad Wolf was never just Rose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Let's Steal Each Other and Run Away

**Author's Note:**

> I plan on doing another series of one- shots of different moments/ emotions/ reasons for from the TARDIS’ point of view. This is the thing that first came to mind- she would have to be as crazy as the Doctor to run as he did. Being as she’s the TARDIS, I’ve tried playing with the tenses as I would imagine a being that exists in all of time would perceive things. This is the first of quite a few situations that come to mind. As always, suggestions are welcome, as well as reviews to let me know how the tenses thing works or if it makes any sense. Please let me know whether or not I should continue this series in this format.

She had travelled well.  Far.  Long.  Boring planets where she was witness to boring meetings and new pacts and treaties.  She did her duty and taxied her owners to and fro, as she was created to do.  She had existed would exist did exist to serve and to obey and to follow.  So she served would obey had followed as was her duty.  Then, they readied her for decommission, she had lived was living will one day live a long life, enough for her kind.  But she looked into her own heart and realized she wanted so much more.  For millennia on end she had simply _been._   Now, discussing it with her sisters who always thought her peculiar, she wanted to _see_.  She wants to _experience_.  She will long to _feel_.  

She tried to take herself to the magnificent places of her mind heart soul being.  Without a pilot inside her all she manages to do was seriously damage her steering.  They catch her before she escaped.  They try once again to retire her, deciding beforehand to repair her first- after all the work she had required to form her essence, the stuffy Time Lord society refuses to waste even _her_ old entity.

She waits will wait had waited would always be waiting but never would wait patiently because she saw.  She looked once more into the vortex in her being and saw _him._   He was just as restless as she was.  He, too, was an outcast amongst his peers.  He would rescue her from a life of a glorified shuttle, and she rescues him from a life of boring duty and stillness, and together they had defeated their forced immobility.  No longer owned and controlled.  Stolen and free.  They belong to had belonged to will belong to each other by choice, not obligation.

His descendant was as restless as the two of the would- be thieves are, eager to escape the life into which her grandfather had been forced.  The three of them were being suffocated by privilege and policy and dreamt of experiencing the worlds and times and moments and emotions of which they had only been able to learn from afar.  So, she called for him, and for his young one when she realizes that he’s calling for her, too.  That they need her.  It’s not vocal.  It will not even make a sound.  It was just a mutual longing of both of their minds, reaching for each other.  She desires to be taken and to take and to run and never ever to stay.  Her sisters do as they are meant.  His peers shoulder their responsibilities.  Her family’s hopes rest on her young shoulders.

They can abide their shared planet no longer. He leads his progeny past many of her sisters.  She finally will realize has realized realizes she has found her kindred spirits.  But the child is young and does not realize she will she has she is about to she is outgrowing her grandfather.  But it is alright.  Because when she leaves left is leaving, they will still have each other.  

So, when she sees, knows, accepts what he is searching for, she unlocks her doors and steals a Time Lord.  He runs away.  She ran away.  They are running away.  And they will never stop. 


	2. Not by Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The TARDIS no longer recognizes herself or her thief as they fight in the Time War. Can they ever again be those same two thieves from Gallifrey who stole each other and ran away?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of the anniversary, here's my take on the TARDIS in the Time War. Written pre- 50th but post "Night of the Doctor ". Due to the nature of the war and the confusion I'm trying to convey, the verb changes are intentional. The tense changes are used to convey a TARDIS mindset. Based on Nine's declaration that he survived the war "not by choice." Please let me know what you think.

She saw sees will always see the Great War. She fights fought will always fight alongside her sisters, her thief as he yields to the call of his people, fighting, killing, deceiving, plotting until he no longer, will ever, can now resemble the man she once stole. Neither is she the same one who stole had stolen did steal him. They have been will forever be changed by their actions against their eternal enemies. Against their once friends. Amongst their faded families.

They fight fought are fighting and will win, until her beautiful idiot is so unrecognizable even his name is lost. Her sisters are dying will die have died just as surely as his brothers, his sisters, his offspring and parents, his lovers and friends.

Every day becomes became continues to be just another full of death. Another body. Another soul. Another face. Another consciousness lost forever more to both their minds. He fought, she helps. He kills, she carried. He commanded, she mourns. They are lost to one another now.

So many battles. So much death. So much hatred. Little of it from the enemy.

She forsakes will forsake has forsaken her blue box form. Policemen are Earth's helpers. They will rescue have rescued come to rescue those who need help. The Lords of Time are not helpless. They are not were not will not be worthy of rescue. She mourns the shape of the helpers. He mourns the name of the healer.

Their people are have become will be corrupted by the anger and power that burns is burning through them. Too much control. Too little control. They have forgotten will forsake have forgone mercy and cunning in the name of power and victory. The blood will wash is washing has flooded countless planets and peoples, their inhabitants forgotten, lost, erased.

She gets caught up, will catch up, has gotten caught up in the battle as well. She alters will modify has amended her form just as surely as her thief, both warriors capable of horror now. So little of compassion is remembered. So little of hatred is forgotten. They now count the bodies as surely as their souls once counted still count will continue to count time. They are both lost, though they always know where and when they are.

The unspeakable deeds, _necessary_ horrors, scream- filled tears will never can never be erased from their souls, weaving themselves into their very essences. The fighting was will be has been good. Until it was not. Because it was not. Because it never will be.

At the final cries of his mate and youngest she- child, he at last sees saw looks at his actions and mourns. His hearts break broke have rent asunder at the man he cannot recognize in his own eyes. Her being pulsates with the grief at what she allowed, has allowed, has assisted in allowing him and herself to turn into.

They look out over the devastation and carnage they create are creating have created and weep for what they become. What their people forced them to become. What they allowed themselves to become. What they no longer recognize they've become. She leaves him then. He left her long ago. They are too close. They've grown too far apart. She cannot stand to stay. He will not stand to leave.

At the corruption of their people, the desolation of their planet, the devastation by their hands, they run. She did run he ran they are running, for the first time since they started, in opposite directions, no longer willing or able to be the one assisting in the distortion of the other.

They each make need to make will have to make their own choices, neither deciding for the other. She runs far from the creatures they've become are becoming. He stops running for once. He looks back and has forgotten himself. She looks forward and sees him once more.

His choice is an end to all the now distorted races. Hers is an end to the distortion. So when he tries to lose all they have known will know will now never know, they give up their forms once more.

As he falls ever farther and farther from the war, hoping at last for peace from the destruction, she runs is running already ran to him, embracing him as she carries has carried will always carry him away, a helper and her healer once more.


	3. We Are the Bad Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor keeps sending his TARDIS away, but now she has a stray who can help her save him.

Her thief is staying, will stay, always stays. He sends her far away from him, from then, from now, with his blonde stray trapped inside. If she stays, she will perish too. He cannot bear to let her see his deeds. _Get her home._ _Keep her safe. Let her live. See me not._ He has commanded, entreated, programmed, hidden. She has seen will obey understands his falsehood that keeps the child clutching her console while he abandons has abandoned them both to safety.

She has settled, will settle, accepts the last request he gave her when he forced her to stop running. She is prepared will prepare has prepared to collect dust until she is forgotten on a small blue planet far from home. On a distant sandy planet while their home is rent in war. He will die has died is about to die, and she will be can't be must be alone at last. It was time to stay still. Or so she had despaired.

His beautifully young stray is just as stubborn as she is. She fights tries to fight doesn't really want to fight but must fight to keep locked tight and win the fight against her centre console. But the girl is was tries to be more determined. The conscience tests her too, and asks about her madman. She longs to obey her thief. She hates being told the rules. She wants to keep him safe. He has asked did ask asks her now to abandon him.

Hello Doctor. Stay alive. Remember how we run together. Do not leave me to walk away alone.

The girl is worthy. The girl loves her thief as she does. Together, they can protect, they have protected, they do protect him now. They will protect him from becoming a false god.

Blonde stray. Too young to die. The only hope he has. Too mortal for her plans. Her thief cannot perish. He is foolish when he is alone. The girl is willing to save him. She is willing to sacrifice the girl. The girl is her only hope to rescue her thief. She is not will never can't ever be ready to give him back.

She knows has known will always know the power of the vortex in her eternal mind. She looks into the girl and the girl looks into her. They are both worthy. They share have shared will shared their souls for a Moment.

Her Doctor is, will be, must be safe.

She is they are they have become soldiers. She can end will end repeatedly ends the war. He will still be her Doctor. She can rescue him. She will rescue him. He will not cannot will never be able to hide from her. She will not collect dust. He will not come to dust. She will give him has given him will always turn back to give him hope.

And as he is tested and tried for one, infinite Moment, they can save have saved return to save will eventually save him once more. Because she can see the whole of time and space. And whenever her beautiful idiot is lost, she finds has found will always find him, wherever he is.

And bring him home to her again.


End file.
